GOOD GOVERNANCE: Government People Can Trust
In our walkabouts throughout Bhutan, people of remote regions taught us a precious lesson: Even though they toil in harsh conditions without necessities such as safe water, road, or electricity, they can harbour hopes and dreams of a better future to work for – simply because they trust the government. Without that trust that has been nurtured through 100 years of enlightened monarchy, their psychological well being would suffer enormously. And, they fear that democracy might mean a government they can no longer trust.
We learned that it is ultimately this very trust between the people and their government, which enables a sovereign people to be “the ultimate guardians of the security, sovereignty and continued well being” of their nation, as stated by His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.
Herein lies the reason why it is the quality of governance, throughout the entire human history, that has determined the success or failure of nation states. This insight gained from the wisdom of our people ignited a fire of passion in us. We resolved even more to do our best for good governance in democracy. In the very strength of this resolve rest the success of democracy we are to build, and the security of our nation itself.
We will robustly uphold and enforce rule-of-law and equal justice as the fundamental elements of good governance under democracy. And because effective checks and balances are vital for good governance in a democratic system, we look to strengthen the various branches of government and Constitutional Bodies.
Public Policy Interventions:
- Institutional strengthening of constitutional bodies and the various branches of government;
- Ensure accountability, transparency, efficiency and professionalism in governance and all public services;
- Reengineer and reorient public service to make it people friendly and more service centred, not bureaucratic;
- Protect the rights of vulnerable people who are economically, socially or physically handicapped;
- Support decentralization and local government institutions to enable people at the grassroots to effectively participate in matters that directly affect the development of their communities and their own well being;
- Strengthen corporate governance in both private and public corporations; and
- Improve coordination and foster team-spirit between different government ministries and agencies.
Strengthening Rule of Law and Justice:
- Enforce rule of law to ensure a level playing field and infuse in our people confidence in the impartiality of governance;
- Enable equal, fair, and timely justice without discrimination based on financial status, ethnicity, gender or religion;
- Respect fully the independence of the judiciary;
- Support capacity building of our Judicial system to enable efficient dispensation of justice and keep up with new and growing demands;
We will strive to be the government that earns and deserves the people’s trust. It is a journey that begins by walking the talk with integrity – making only those promises we know we can deliver, and delivering all promises we make.
And, it is a journey we want to take in the company of public servants who are true to their sacred duty – to serve the people with humility. We want to work with those who honour the extraordinarily high cost of time the Bhutanese people incur, away from farms, homes, offices or businesses, to access government services. We want to work with those who willingly answer the call of duty, providing government service quickly and thoughtfully, however insignificant or routine the service might seem. We want to work with those public servants, who never think of themselves “high”, having some power over the people they are employed to serve – the very people whose resources fund their salary. In other words, we will encourage our values of humility, integrity and compassion to permeate throughout all public institutions, and improve the delivery of public services.
In turn, we will offer these institutions our strong support to unleash their true potential for excellence. We will assist their leaders to create employment conditions that befit the best talent the nation has to offer. We will help build a work environment that is open to out-of-the-box thinking, innovation, cutting edge knowledge, and the world’s best practice.
In particular, we will value support staff and younger and junior officers in all public institutions, in rural areas as well as in towns. They are the wheels that keep any organization running smoothly, and the front-line that brings the government in direct contact with the people. Without their enthusiastic partnership, no public agencies can hope to deliver their commitments fast, well, and thoughtfully.
In particular, too, we will value teamwork that makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts, cutting across artificial boundaries of ministries, agencies, ranks and grades. People’s well being is holistic by nature. It does not come in convenient compartments. Public service for the people’s well being demands holistic service of one united government, in everything it does. So, we will begin by walking our talk. Our leadership group will work as a strong team, whether as the Cabinet of the Government or as the Shadow Cabinet of the Opposition.
IMPROVING PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY:
- Synchronize existing Acts, Rules and Regulations to eliminate conflicts and contradictions, for efficient, friendly and effective public service;
- Review and streamline all public service procedures;
- Strengthen anti-corruption measures through systemic corrections, transparent and equitable public service delivery systems and capacity building of the ACC, etc.;
- Develop human resources of the public sector to enhance capacity and professionalism;
- Adopt strategies to motivate and retain high calibre public servants with right values and people-centred service perspective;
- Review and revise, if found necessary, the salary and benefits of public employees congruent to inflation and to what relevant labour markets bear;
- Encourage public servants to take initiative, reward performers, and advance meritocracy in the civil service and corporate sector;
- Fully exploit the potential of integrated ICT in service delivery through ICT service portals such as e-Zhungchong and e-Zhabtog;
- Institute effective mechanism to address grievances at all levels;
e-Zhabtog
Public Service that Delivers Service
The opening line of our Constitution reads, “Bhutan is a Sovereign Kingdom and the Sovereign power belongs to the people of Bhutan.”
This powerful declaration is the bedrock of People’s Democratic Party’s commitment to “Service with Humility”. Our nation’s supreme power is in the hands of the people - they are the masters, and the singular purpose of government is to serve them.
Are people being served well? Our villagers spend far too much time chasing permits to harvest rural timber or even to build their own house. Claiming life or house insurance benefits is too confusing and time-consuming, offering no solace to those in distress. And, it can take years to change a person’s thram.
If it is cumbersome and takes too long to receive, it is not a service at all. What we need, badly, is a totally fresh approach to kick-start the change.
e-Zhabtog represents that approach. The powerful use of ICT can provide prompt, convenient and effective public service. All public services, from car registrations to school admissions, can be accessible from any computer terminal, anywhere. For customers unwilling or unable to go online, one-window service centres can serve them in every gewog and thromde – and, with staff to assist those people who are physically handicapped or cannot read or write.
The potential of e-Zhabtog is unlimited. Consider the possibilities: paying utility bills; booking bus tickets; monitoring the weather or potato prices; paying taxes; depositing or withdrawing money; renewing vehicle registration or trade licenses; applying for passports, audit clearances; birth certificates; and even studying online.
Other nations are already there. (Visit www.esevaonline.com and www.ecitizen.gov.sg for success stories in India and Singapore.) We must too - our well being is at stake.
And because good governance must be rooted in people’s empowerment and participation, we want to see decentralization become a permanent feature of Bhutan’s landscape. It must, however, be good decentralization, where accountabilities are clear, taken seriously, and “trust and verify” monitoring works.
Local Government: Participatory Development
- Empower local governments through decentralization and real devolution of authority;
- Strengthen local governments and enhance their capacity to effectively carry out their responsibilities;
- Establish effective monitoring system to ensure that people are well served; and
- Train local leaders to efficiently discharge their functions in light of their expanded roles and government reforms.
Last but not least, good governance needs the wholesome discipline by the media and the civil society, operating in a policy environment that honors their freedom. We look to the free and independent media and civil society organizations, of good ethics and high professional integrity, to maintain the hard discipline.
A Dynamic Civil Society:
- Create an enabling environment for the development of free and vibrant media and civil society;
- Respect the right to information as enshrined in our Constitution to foster transparency and accountability in government.
- Encourage self-regulation based on the highest ethical standards minimizing the need for government oversight;
- Work closely with civil society organizations to provide services to hard-to-reach vulnerable groups;
- Support human resource development of civil society organizations.
People’s Democratic Party
Ministerial Code of Conduct
Walking the TalkMinisters bear crucial responsibility and duty to the nation – both in the discharge of their official functions and in their personal conduct.
The People’s Democratic Party is drawing up a Code of Conduct for its ministers, which holds them to the highest standards of propriety. The Code of Conduct will be requiring our ministers to be the very vision of good citizen-leaders themselves. They will:
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- Comply with all laws, rules and regulations of the land;
- Provide truthful information to Parliament and the public at large;
- Be accountable for all policies, decisions and actions of their Ministries and, if needed, submit themselves to appropriate scrutiny;
- Avoid using official facilities and resources for political purposes;
- Abide by the counsel of the Chief Finance Officer of their Ministries on any action they propose that may breach the requirements of propriety, regularity and economy;
- Uphold the principle of political impartiality of the civil service and on no account ask civil servants to act in any way that would compromise their apolitical status;
- Refrain from abusing powers to influence civil servants or public appointees, or to award contracts for personal or partisan gain, with all decisions taken strictly on merit;
- Make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements, and keep delegations as small as possible. All ministers to make public annual lists of all foreign travel undertaken and total costs incurred by the Royal Government;
- Declare private interests, and resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that protects the public interest;
- Never accept gifts or favours that would compromise their judgement or place them under obligation in the discharge of their duties; and
- Abide by the highest principles of public life including humility, integrity and compassion.
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